Writing instrument



April 3, 1962 R. A LANOIE I 3,027,873

WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed Sept. 21, 1959 JNVENTOR. RAYMOND A LANOI E ATTOR N EYS 3,027,873 WRITING INSTRUMENT Raymond A. Lanoie, East Greenwich, R.I., assignor to Lew Mfg. Co., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Sept. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 841,303 3 Claims. (Cl. 120-42.03)

This invention relates to writing instruments of the type in which relative rotatiton of two parts of the instrument cause the scribe member to be advanced or retracted to or from writing position.

Ballpoint writing instruments are usually provided in either the type in which the ball point is always exposed and ready for use or where the ball point is retracted into a casing for protection of theclothing and must be advanced in order for it to be in writing position. This invention relates to the latter and the mechanism by which this advance or retraction of the ballpoint of the writing instrument is attained. Ballpoint magazines, here referred to as a scribe member, are now supplied on the market in a standard form in which there is a long ink carrying tube with a ballpoint at one end and a threaded portion adjacent the end remote from the ballpoint for holding it in a carrier but yet permitting this scribe member or the ball point and its ink tube to be removed for replenishing.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a carrier for the scribe member which will be extremely simple and made up of a minimum number of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple assembly of these parts with a minimum of time required for placing the parts in operative relation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a smooth operating device which will be appealing to the user.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the working parts of the writing instrument which is the subject of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view through a fragmental portion of the parts shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the helically slotted member;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the carrier tube; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the separate ferrule which is fixed to the carrier tube.

In proceeding with this invention, I have provided a carrier tube and ferrule in two parts which enable me to assemble the carrier tube in the main tube with its finger projections extending into the straight slot in the main tube and into a helical slot for relative movement of the two slotted members for axial movement of the carrier tube and after the carrier tube is assembled without the ferrule, I may attach a ferrule into which the scribe member may be screwed.

With reference to the drawings, the main tube of the mechanism shown is designated and extends a substantial length of the instrument. At one end of this tube there is afiixed a tapered bushing 11 which is secured at the tapered end of a casing not shown, which casing States Patent "I 3,027,873 Patented Apr. -3, 1962 extends about one-half the length of the finished writing instrument. An abutment collar 12 encircles the tube 10 and is held against axial movement toward the point end of the instrument by a rib 13 raised from a stock of the main tube 10. From a point adjacent the collar 12 the main tube 10 has a straight slot as at 14. Telescopically embracing the tube along this slot portion 14, there is a helically slotted tube 15 which has a sleeve 16 fixed to this helical tube such as by snugly embracing the same or by soldering the same thereto, and the outer surface of this sleeve 16 is ribbed so that another portion of the casing may snugly frictionally embrace this sleeve and cause the same to turn relative to the tapered bushing 11 and its tube 10 by relative rotation of the two parts of the casing. A nylon washer 17 is inserted between the end of the sleeve 16 and the abutment collar 12 for smoother operation. The helical slot in the tube 15 is designated 18.

A carrier tube 20 (see FIG. 4) is provided with a pair of fingers 2'1 and 22, which carrier tube has these fingers 21 and 22 extending outwardly through the longitudinal slot 14 of the tube 10 and into the helical slot 18 in the tube 15. This carrier tube projects beyond the end of the helically slotted tube 15 and is held within these slotted tubes by the provision of a nylon washer 23 and a metal washer 24, the nylon washer serving to give smooth action to the rotatable helical tube and the metal washer serving to take the wear and better support the locked-on assembly which locking is accomplished by spreading the straight slot of the tube 10 at 25 so as to sufficiently upset the stock and prevent movement of washer 24 away from the tube 15. This arrangement locks the helical tube and carrier tube onto the slotted tube, and yet by reason of the washers at the opposite ends of the relatively rotatable helical tube, the parts may be rotated smoothly.

On the portion 26 of the carrier tube which extends beyond the slotted tube 10, I have secured a ferrule 27 (FIG. 5) which may be soldered, welded or in any other manner fixed to the carrier tube, while the internally threaded portion 28 of the ferrule which extends beyond the carrier tube is threaded to receive the threads 29 of a scribe member which has a handle portion 30, a long tubular portion 31 and a ball carrying end portion 32 in which the ball 33 is fixed.

By this arrangement the scribe member may be passed through the carrier tube 20 and the main tub-e 10 to project out through the tapered bushing 11 and may be held in the carrier by threading it into the threads 28 on the ferrule 27 thereof. By relative rotation of one portion of the casing which grips the sleeve 16 and the other portion of the casing which grips the tapered bushing 11, the scribe member may be moved axially. By making the ferrule separate from the sleeve a simplified arrangement of parts is provided and provides a very simple assembly.

I claim:

1. An operating mechanism for a writing instrument having a forward end to be located toward the writing end of the instrument and a rear end to be located remote therefrom, said mechanism comprising relatively rotatable telescoping parts having respectively straight and helical slots, a carrier tube of a size to permit a scribe member to freely pass therethrough movable within said parts and 3 4 having an outwardly radially extending finger in both of as in claim 1 wherein the ferrule has threads for thread said slots for movement of the tube axially in opposite ingly connecting the scribe member thereto. directions, said tube projecting beyond the rear end of said parts and a ferrule secured to the said projecting end References Cited in the file of this Patent of said carrier tube and means on the ferrule for releas- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ably engaging a. scribe member to be positioned from the Y rear end of the mechanism through the carrier tube. 216931171 Lanole 2, 1954 2. An operating mechanism for a writing instrument 217531344 BOSS July 1956 as in claim 1 wherein there are two fingers at axially spaced locations on the tube. 10 FOREIGN PATENTS 3. An operating mechanism for a writing instrument 976,412 France Oct. 25, 1950 f i l 

